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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28517439">The Bookshop Around the Corner</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fifty_fifty/pseuds/fifty_fifty'>fifty_fifty</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Books, Bookstores, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Meet-Cute, Modern Era</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:00:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,476</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28517439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fifty_fifty/pseuds/fifty_fifty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a sudden rainstorm sends Merlin running for cover, he discovers a delightful bookshop and an even more delightful bookseller inside, who just might be the best Christmas gift of all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>WinterKnights 2020 - a Merlin Winter/Holiday Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Bookshop Around the Corner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks to the mods for letting me send in this rather late submission and my beta for stepping up at the last minute to help me with this.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Merlin groans as he looks up at the sky and heavy droplets of rain fall on his face. He was worried this might happen when he left work, especially after he had lost his umbrella last week. He hopes it won’t get any heavier than this; he’s still a fair ways away from home, and he really doesn’t fancy getting soaked after the day he’s had.</p><p>He has no such luck, however, as thunder rumbles overhead and the heavens open in a torrential downpour. Merlin glances around, looking for a shop that might still be open at this hour. He’s running down the street and around the corner when he spots one, shining like a beacon in the storm, on the other side of the street, its lights bright and shining through the windows in the dull, rainy gloom. With a quick glance each way, Merlin rushes across to it. He wrenches the door open and hurries inside, closing the door against the noise of the storm. With a sigh of relief, Merlin turns around and takes in the interior of the store.</p><p>It’s a quaint little bookshop. It’s obviously been here for some years, judging by the layout and the decor. Merlin wonders why he’s not been in here before. But then again, he can’t really remember the last time he picked up a book. He reads most things on his phone these days. </p><p>A man appears—walking through the shop, having appeared from… somewhere, Merlin’s not quite sure where—with an armful of books. </p><p>“Oh, hi!” he says, putting the books on the shop counter. “Welcome to <i>Books of Avalon</i>! Can I help at all?”</p><p>Merlin just gawps at him for a moment. The man is stunning. Tall and muscled beneath his thin, crisp shirt; blond, with the clearest blue eyes... Merlin can’t seem to put his brain into gear to respond.</p><p>“Are you looking for yourself? Or maybe something for a gift? Christmas is around the corner! I could recommend something if you’d like?” the man continues.</p><p>“Yes. For my mum,” Merlin blurts out. She’s the first person who comes to mind.</p><p>“Ah, okay. Well, why don’t you hang up your coat and let me quickly put these books away, and then I’ll help you pick out the perfect one!”</p><p>Merlin stares at the coat stand the man had pointed at for a few beats before his feet move and he finds himself hanging up his soaking wet coat. Then he turns and allows himself the luxury of watching the bookseller as he works his way around the store. He walks around the shop with a comfortable ease, pushing books into bookshelves, climbing ladders and a small flight of stairs.</p><p>The whole place feels like some kind of fantasy; a quiet, charming little bookshop in the middle of a bustling city, and in it, the man of Merlin’s dreams, it seems.</p><p>When the man has finished, he approaches Merlin again.</p><p>He runs a hand through his hair and Merlin thinks he might go weak at the knees.</p><p>“Shall we get started?” he asks. “Tell me, what kind of books does your mum like?”</p><p>***</p><p>Merlin returns the next day, despite promising himself he’d give it a few days. He needs to see his mystery book-keeper again. </p><p>All day, it’s the only thing Merlin has been able to think about. If he didn’t have to work himself, then Merlin would have loved to curl up, unnoticed, in a chair by the fire and spend the day just watching as the man went about his day.</p><p>The bell rings as he opens the door and the bookseller looks up from the shop counter and smiles. Merlin thinks his heart might have skipped a beat.</p><p>“You’re back!” he exclaims.</p><p>“Yeah,” Merlin replies as he walks to the coat stand, taking off his coat and scarf, hanging them there. “Couldn’t keep away.”</p><p>The bookseller laughs as he approaches Merlin and claps his hands together. “Of course. So, how can I help you today?”</p><p>“Well, I could do with some advice on a book for my goddaughter. What kind of books are six-year-olds into?”</p><p>***</p><p>Merlin makes several more trips back to the bookshop over the next week. He tries to make himself leave at least a day between visits but usually fails. He tries mostly because it’s embarrassing how eager he is to see his bookseller again—especially with the kinds of dreams he’s been having—but also because he’s starting to run out of people to buy books for.</p><p>He just hopes that everyone he knows won’t mind getting a book for Christmas this year.</p><p>By the time he’s on his fifth visit and looking at his twelfth subsequent book purchase, Merlin finally feels relaxed enough around his shopkeeper not to be a complete idiot. He’s not sure what kind of impression he must have made, but it’s probably not a particularly good one. Today, he’s planning to change that.</p><p>Today, he will impress the man somehow. Merlin’s not sure how, exactly, but he’s sure something will occur to him.</p><p>As he opens the door to the little shop and steps inside away from the chilly wind, he brushes snow off of his shoulders and smiles as the bell rings merrily overhead. His smile grows wider as he spots a blond head in the back room. His bookseller is standing at the top of the tallest ladder, trying to hang a garland from the ceiling. He twists from his vantage point near the ceiling and Merlin waves at him from the shop’s entrance. He’d been wondering why the window was mostly empty today. It looks like the shop is being prepared for Christmas.</p><p>“It’s only me,” he says, hanging up his coat as part of his usual routine.</p><p>“I’ll be with you in a minute!” the man calls.</p><p>“No hurry!” Merlin calls back.</p><p>He walks along the wall, browsing the titles watching the action out of the corner of his eye. It’s fascinating how many different books there are in this shop. Some useful, some interesting, and some downright bizarre. </p><p>There’s a sudden flurry of motion as the book-keeper slips on the ladder. Merlin finds himself springing into action. He flings out his hand and the time around him starts to slow, the man starts falling as though through treacle.</p><p>Merlin looks around him, trying to make a plan. He uses his magic to move one of the old sofas underneath the man and then he lets time slip through his fingers again.</p><p>The bookseller lands on the sofa with a thud and groans for a moment and then sits up looking mildly baffled.</p><p>“That was lucky,” he comments.</p><p>Merlin rushes over to him. “Are you okay?” he asks.</p><p>***</p><p>Arthur sighs as he stares at the door inside his empty bookshop. Peace at last. He’s glad that his ideas for the shop are starting to make a difference with regards to custom, though admittedly book sales are always much higher this time of year, what with Christmas gift-giving. But he’s still not sure that it will be enough to save the shop. </p><p>He inherited this shop from his mother, and Gaius, his godfather—bless him—has been running the place for the past twenty-five years. The old man has tried his best, but times have moved on, and the shop hasn’t been moving with them. </p><p>When he finished at university, Arthur decided to try his hand at running it. He couldn’t bear the idea of giving up the shop that his mother loved so much. His parents met and fell in love in this very shop. And it just feels… magical; special, somehow.</p><p>Maybe he’s just a hopeless romantic, but the place just feels full of possibilities. </p><p><i>Books of Avalon</i> is so homey and comfortable. When you enter the shop you are immediately struck by the old open fireplace, where a fire still burns in the winter to this day. There are bookshelves that hug all the walls and a balcony that stretches around the room which is only accessible by a ladder. </p><p>In the backroom is a cosy sofa and yet more books, as well as the children’s corner, complete with a mural and small furniture hand-painted by his mother herself. </p><p>Arthur doesn’t know how he could ever bring himself to sell it. But he can only continue to fund the rent and upkeep from his own pocket for so long… During the day he’s been running himself ragged with service and advice for his customers, in hopes that the memory of this place will last beyond the Christmas surge. And at night, he works on the website and brainstorms themes for the shop’s window displays.</p><p>He glances up as the bell rings above the door and can’t help but smile as his customer walks in. It’s the beautiful, dark-haired man with the blinding smile who’s been stopping by every other day so far this week. He’d been hoping that he would stop by again soon, and this time, Arthur’s determined to get his name.</p><p>“Hey,” the man says softly.</p><p>“Hey, welcome back!” Arthur replies cheerfully.</p><p>The man browses for a while, pausing and looking at the bookshelves with his usual look of amusement, confusion and helplessness. It’s adorable.</p><p>Deciding to relieve him of his misery, Arthur calls out, “So, who are you shopping for this time?”</p><p>His voice startles the man, and the book he has in his hand clatters to the ground. The man has already brought a book for his mother, his goddaughter, his cousin, and several friends. Arthur is curious who it will be today.</p><p>“Oh,” the man says, his face blossoming into a smile, complete with dimples—dimples!—as a flush spreads across his cheeks. “I’m looking for something for my— Uh— For me, actually.” </p><p>Apparently, it’s the man’s turn to surprise him.</p><p>“What would you recommend?” he asks as he crouches down to pick the book up.</p><p>“Um, I guess that would depend. What kind of things do you normally like to read?”</p><p>The man chews his lip. “I’ll be honest with you—and I know that this is an awful thing to say in such a charming bookshop—but I’ve not had an awful lot of time to read lately.”</p><p>Arthur hums and approaches him, taking the book from his hands and turning it over to look at the title. </p><p>“How to get a Date.” He raises an eyebrow at the man, he wouldn’t have thought he’d have trouble getting dates. He certainly knows how to talk and tell an interesting story based on their past meetings.</p><p>“Oh,” the customer says, seeing Arthur’s face. “I was just curious. I don’t need anything like that. As for books I’ve read…” He scratches his head and scowls. “I guess I’ve always enjoyed fantasy books. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, A Wrinkle in time. And the Narnia books—CS Lewis is great. A bit of Neil Gaiman... I know most of those are for kids. But they’re still good books.”</p><p>With a nod of his head, Arthur is quick to agree. “They are. And some of the best books out there are written with children in mind, I find. Tell me, what do you like about them?”</p><p>The man shakes his head firmly. “No,” he says. “You’ll laugh.”</p><p>“I won’t,” Arthur promises.</p><p>He sighs and shoves his hands in his pockets. “All right. I like books with magic in them, okay?”</p><p>Arthur taps his chin thoughtfully. </p><p>“Wait here,” he says, heading to a nearby ladder. </p><p>He climbs it and reaches out to a shelf to his left, running his fingers over the spines until he finds the book he’s looking for and plucks it out. He returns to the man with a spring in his step and a smile. </p><p>“How about some T.H. White?” he says, pressing the book into his hands.</p><p>The man looks at it, turning the book over in his hands, looking amused. “The Sword in the Stone,” he says.</p><p>“Yeah. And full disclosure, I should mention I feature heavily in this book.” The man raises an eyebrow at him. “My name is Arthur,” he says as explanation.</p><p>A peal of laughter sounds as the man doubles over, his eyes crinkling with merriment. He laughs long and hard, before wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says, once he’s recovered from his laughing fit. “It’s just— It’s just… I’m Merlin!”</p><p>He starts laughing all over again, and Arthur can’t help but join in with him. Of all the books for him to pick!</p><p>“I think you’ll have to get it then,” Arthur tells him. “It’s destiny.”</p><p>Merlin beams at him, and Arthur notices the way his eyes crease at the corners. “I guess I will,” he declares. </p><p>They head over to the tills together and Arthur rings the book up for him. “I hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as your family and friends will enjoy their books.”</p><p>Merlin’s face colours. “Uh, yes. Thank you. For all your help with those.”</p><p>Well, now that Arthur knows his name, it’s now or possibly never. He can’t depend on Merlin having to drop by again soon to buy another gift. </p><p>Arthur clears his throat. “So Merlin, I don’t suppose you might be free sometime soon? Maybe we could go for coffee?”</p><p>“Oh,” Merlin smiles widely. “Yeah, that would be great. I can… I can let you know how I like the book!” he says, brandishing his purchase at Arthur. “Do you want my—”</p><p>“Here,” says Arthur, pulling out his phone and swiping at the screen. “Why don’t you enter your number?”</p><p>Merlin takes the phone from him and enters his number. When he passes it back, their fingers brush and it makes Arthur’s stomach do somersaults—in a good way. When he looks at his screen, Arthur laughs. Merlin has entered his name as “Merlin the Great 🧙”.</p><p>“So, you’ll call me?” he asks Arthur hopefully.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“All right. Well, I look forward to it.” Merlin stands there, tapping his book on his hand. “I’ll… I’ll just be going then...”</p><p>“Okay,” Arthur agrees.</p><p>“Goodnight,” he says as he grabs his coat.</p><p>“Goodnight, Merlin.”</p><p>Merlin turns and starts to leave the shop, shooting Arthur looks over his shoulder before giving him a final wave through the window. Arthur waves back and Merlin is gone.</p><p>He stands at the till in the shop, drumming his fingers on the counter. Fuck it. Merlin is gorgeous and interested. He’d be crazy to let him walk away.</p><p>He hits the call button on his phone.</p><p>“Hello?” comes Merlin’s voice.</p><p>“Hi,” says Arthur. “So, I was wondering… fancy getting that coffee?”</p><p>“Oh, thank God!” says Merlin. “It’s about time! Do you <i>know</i> how many books I’ve brought…”</p>
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